South Carolina-based AnMed is the first to launch the feature, which is part of Cedar’s Affordability Navigator, a new integrated suite of financial assistance features

Healthcare is becoming increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for the average consumer, with 100 million patients across the United States struggling with medical debt. More acutely, more than 10 million people have been cut from Medicaid since the end of the federal COVID-19 emergency, the majority of whom were cut due to administrative reasons. All of this underscores a disturbing trend: nearly half of consumers say their healing or well-being has been negatively impacted by difficulty paying a medical bill. 

To address accessibility and affordability challenges, Cedar, an end-to-end healthcare financial engagement platform, has launched its Affordability Navigator, the healthcare industry’s first integrated suite of financial assistance offerings for patients. Cedar’s Affordability Navigator connects consumers with outside funding sources and self-service tools, including Medicaid enrollment in partnership with Advocatia, the leading benefits and financial assistance enrollment solution for hospitals. This helps healthcare providers increase access to care, alleviate staff workload and boost their financial performance.

The stress patients feel about their healthcare costs and insurance coverage is due in part to a lack of awareness about financial assistance resources. According to the 2024 Healthcare Financial Experience Study, an overwhelming majority (63%) do not know what financial assistance options, such as Medicaid, are available. Notably, Cedar’s Affordability Navigator integrates Advocatia’s full-service Medicaid enrollment solution, which delivers personalized eligibility screening, digital patient self-service enrollment with multi-language support, empathetic servicing and the ability to directly submit Medicaid applications to the state. AnMed, a comprehensive South Carolina-based health system, has been the first to launch this combined solution offered by Cedar and Advocatia. Together, the companies will help AnMed and other leading healthcare providers increase insurance coverage for their patients, improve access to care and decrease costs for the health system.

“More than 100,000 people in South Carolina have lost their Medicaid coverage since the federal protections ended, yet many of these patients are still eligible—they just need help understanding and accessing the enrollment process,” said Christine Pearson, chief financial officer of AnMed. “We’re thrilled to be expanding on our long-term partnership with Cedar, and provide much-needed support to our patients with full-service Medicaid enrollment as an integrated part of the billing experience.”

“When we speak to patients, we consistently hear that they go to great lengths to set up personal budgets and leverage payment plans. They are doing everything they can to pay for their care, but they sometimes need some additional time or flexibility to do so,” said Florian Otto, CEO and Co-founder of Cedar. “With a human-centered approach to financial assistance, we’re taking what has traditionally been an opaque and stressful process, and transforming it into a personalized and empathetic journey. We’re excited to launch our Affordability Navigator, and work with our provider partners in our shared mission to support the most vulnerable patients.”

In addition to Medicaid enrollment, Cedar’s Affordability Navigator includes:

• Financial Assistance Screener: Enable patients to self-screen for financial assistance eligibility without having to contact customer service.
• Connected HSAs and FSAs: Simplify access to health benefit accounts so patients never miss out on using tax-free dollars for care.
• Payment Plan Advisor: Guide patients to enroll in personalized payment plans that work for their budgets and timelines.
• Machine Learning Discounts: Leverage Cedar’s ML-powered model to determine the optimal discount for patients, at scale.

Cedar’s Affordability Navigator is being unveiled today (11/6/23) at the 2023 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. Cedar CEO and Co-founder Florian Otto will be featured during the “A Health System That Meets Patients Where They Are” panel, taking place at 4:30 pm ET.

To learn more about Cedar’s Affordability Navigator, visit www.cedar.com.

About Cedar

Cedar is committed to improving the healthcare financial experience for all. With an innovative platform that connects providers and payers, Cedar empowers healthcare consumers with an optimized journey—all powered by data science and interactive design. For Cedar clients, this leads to increased payments, more efficient operations and greater consumer loyalty. To learn more about why leading U.S. healthcare organizations trust Cedar to manage the end-to-end consumer experience from pre-registration to post-visit billing, visit www.cedar.com and join us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About Advocatia

Advocatia dramatically impacts uncompensated care for hospitals by removing financial barriers for their patients. Advocatia’s proprietary algorithms help identify resources and enroll individuals in programs and low-cost healthcare insurance, so they are prepared when they need it and no longer have to delay care. At the core of the program is a state-of-the-art technology that ensures all eligible individuals receive the coverage they are qualified for including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, WIC, programs through the Health Exchange Marketplace, and other state and local resources. Whether arming a hospital’s team or deploying its own, Advocatia streamlines the intake process and makes the financial assistance experience more efficient. By empowering their team and their patients with Advocatia, hospitals dramatically reduce their bad debt, increase reimbursement, and improve their patient experience. Learn more about Advocatia at www.advocatia.io.

Contact
Jenny Fiegoli, Sr. PR & Communications Manager
[email protected]